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FAMILIES OF FAITH (2 TIMOTHY 1:15-2:13)

REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is Families of faith. A church is made up of members of different families. Some of the families may even have their progenitors as the founding members of the church for which we now have the second, third, fourth or more generations of families currently making up the membership of the church. These are the families we refer to as families of faith in the church. They have kept the faith from generation to generation. We shall reflect on the fact that those of us who are the current members of the church must guard the faith and hand it over to the next generation as it has been handed over to us. Families make the church therefore if the family stops growing spiritually, the church will also be affected.

Paul took Timothy as his son and instructed him on how to raise, sustain, grow or expand in the church. He wrote to Timothy ” You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Who then are the reliable people? Dear friends, our parents who taught us the Word of God and guided us in our journey of faith were the reliable people of times past who represented the families of faith in the church. It is now our turn to continue in that tradition of raising families of faith in the twenty-first century. We represent the reliable people who qualify to teach others. These others are our children, dependants and non-family members who are yet to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We are well equipped with the sermons we listen to on Sundays, Bible studies, and our daily Scripture readings to raise and lead families of faith in our congregations and generations.

It is important to acknowledge the fact that, raising families of faith to spread the Gospel through generations was a missionary and evangelism strategy established by Jesus when He said to the disciples “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Paul also followed this instruction and through him and the other Apostles, many came to be saved through the preaching of the Gospel. In fact, many households or families were converted to become the first generation of believers or Christians. Many of us are not the first generation believers in our family yet we have a great responsibility to teach our children to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us. We see this example when Paul wrote to Timothy “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also (2 Timothy 1:5). Again, Luke gives us another example of Jesus and his parents as a family of faith, “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. (Luke 2:41-42). In other words, they were consistent with their faith and worship life as a family. Are we also consistent with our faith-based practices and do we actively involve our children?

Beloved in the Lord, raising families of faith is a divine duty laid upon us. If we fail, our children may perish and we shall be held accountable or responsible because we were made stewards over our family. Parents and guardians or every adult Christian is a steward of his or her family. We have been entrusted with the task of teaching our Children the Word of God and following the perfect example of Jesus Christ for our children to emulate. Unfortunately, Eli who was a priest could not raise a family of faith therefore “the LORD said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. ¹² At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” (1 Samuel 3:11-14) My dear friends in Christ, may we remain faithful stewards of our families so that Eli’s kind of judgement will not come upon our generation. We must be intentional or deliberate about raising a family of faith. It may require establishing firm rules with regard to Bible study, prayer, Church attendance and participation. These rules are non-negotiable with our children because they form the foundation of their faith and moral development. It saddens my heart to see some Christian parents give options to their children when it comes to instructions concerning their faith. At a tender age, parents leave their children to make critical faith decisions. For instance, a child may decide whether or not to attend family prayers or devotions. Children decide whether to go to church or not. Some stay home to watch movies or play while their parents attend church services. Children read other books except the Bible in their formative years. Consequently, the children are greatly exposed to worldly passions and doctrines which are detrimental to their faith and moral lives. It is therefore not surprising that some of these kids battle with all manner of addictions at a tender age under the watch of their parents. My dear Christian parents, raising a family of faith is an intentional or deliberate spiritual exercise. It comes with discipline, teaching and shepherding. No one can effectively raise your children for you when they are under your care. You are the best person to bring them up in the way of the Lord so long as they remain under watch and care.

It is important to mention that nominal Christian parents cannot effectively raise a family of faith. It is a simple principle, what you sow into the child is what you reap. With dedication and the empower of the Holy Spirit, we shall raise a family of faith. Let us take each day at a time, correcting our children in love, disciplining them if there need be and discipling them into the perfect image of Christ.

In summary, we have discovered that we those who are the current members of the church must guard the faith and hand it over to the next generation as it has been handed over to us by our parents. This a divine duty or stewardship responsibility we cannot compromise, for we shall be called upon to render account on how we have raised families of faith for the Lord. Unlike Eli and his family, may we be intentional or deliberate in raising our children according to the teachings of the Scripture so that we shall fulfil the mandate of raising and sustaining families of faith from generation to generation.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, empower us to raise families of faith to the glory of God. May our children be obedient to our instructions and teachings of Scripture so that they will mature into the perfect image of our Lord Jesus Christ and become resourceful to the Church and Society. Amen.